Free Research Paper on Body Language

Words are only a part of our communication. We also communicate in the way we sit, stand, use our hands, or our facial expressions. For example, a clenched jaw might mean anger or stress, raised eyebrows may mean surprise or curiosity, and fidgety movements may mean nervousness. These are considered as signs of body language. According to Microsoft Encarta, body language is gestures, postures and proximity to another speaker by which one communicates nonverbally with others in a given culture. In other words, body language refers to the conveying of messages through body movements other than those movements that form a part of sign or spoken languages. The nonverbal signals you send suggest attitude, understanding, empathy and ethics, and because of the fact that they may be unintentional they can sometimes be misleading, or show signs of deceit.

The ability to use body language is a mechanism that is inborn. This quality of body language is one that is fortunate and necessary for survival. Just imagine a world without body language, where babies who are unable to speak have no resources to rely on to relay their emotions. There would probably be many accidents having tragic results because parents and surrounding adults would not have not identified any cues of discomfort from the baby. Therefore, the ability to communicate through body language indicates a relationship between two or more persons that may sometimes be vital.

Body language makes it possible for future mates to express their interest for each other in a manner that words cannot. For example, fiddling and preening with hair, clothes or accessories is a sign of interest. When you see somebody you fancy, you get the most hints when they first set eyes on you. The eyebrows flash up and down, nostrils flare, lips purse, eyes widens and everything opens and shuts. We square ourselves and lift our shoulders up. What all this does is pull you up and make you look good. You lift your muscles, the light reflects off more angles and makes you look even more attractive. You may also sometimes be able to understand what is being said in sign language even if you are not able to speak it by looking at the way a person says what they are saying and their facial expressions.

Body language is the unspoken language where messages are transmitted without words in every face to face encounter between human beings. The moment you meet people, they judge you by what they see and feel and although this process takes less than 10 seconds, a first impression is permanent. According to the experts, people form 90 per cent of their opinion about a person within the first 90 seconds of meeting them. These messages can tell you someone’s true feelings towards you and how well your words are being received. Psychologists found that between 60%- 80% of the messages we want to convey are communicated through body language, while only 7%- 10% through the actual words used in a conversation. Some psychologists claim that only 7% of the impact you make on others depends on what you actually say, while 38% depends on how you say it, and 55% depends on what your body language conveys. Since how you sound also conveys a message, 93% of all emotions are believed to be communicated without actual words. Often it is not what you say that influences others, but what you don’t say.

Not only humans have the ability to communicate non-verbally, but also animals. A dog may show his affection for his owner by wagging his tail. A snake may show aggression by hissing. There have even been instances where chimpanzees are able to use sign language to communicate.

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